How did you mount your Smart Tabs?

wreckless123 said:
The aluminum tabs for some reason are different then the plastic ones. Those ones can be mounted like you have them but they say not to do it on the plastic ones. Not sure why though..
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They say not to mount the plastic ones like that because of the way the shock attaches to the plate. If you look at the pictures of the two you can see that the stainless ones attach with a bracket and a bolt, this allows it to rotate as the shock compresses. On the SX (plastic) model its a U-joint type of connection between the shock and the plate that does not allow the connection to rotate very much. The only solution for this so far is to set the connection on the last setting (5). The number 5 hole is on the end thus giving the joint enough room to pivot and not bind as the shock compresses.

Hope this helps, its one of those thing that makes way more sense if your looking at it rather then someone describing it. I hope the makers of the smart tab will just make a longer connector for the end of the shocks and solve this once and for all.

BTW, I installed the Smart Tabs SX yesterday and plan on dropping it in the water tomorrow. I'll report back on how it goes.
 
I had not thought about the fact you folks are mounting the composite tabs and the way you have to mount them, that may be why the 40 lb cylinders work, you will soon find out when you try the 60 lb cylinders. My experience is with the Stainless Steel tabs not composite. No matter what you should not be losing wot speed, it should at least remain the same with a possible 2 to 4 mph increase.
 
I was thinking that since I have to put it on the last hole (5) i might need a weaker shock but am hoping for the best with the 60s. I think we have the exact same boat except yours is a few years newer. It will be interesting to compare the plastic tabs to the stainless ones. I should be taking it out tomorrow even if its just for half and hour to test out the new tabs. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Is your hull curved like the newer boats (2004-2006)? I think the 2001's are very similar to the 04-06 models. I have an '05 and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a set of SX 40s. I'm hoping they get here by the middle of next week so that I can get them all installed for an extended weekend on the water.
 
TexasA&M said:
Is your hull curved like the newer boats (2004-2006)? I think the 2001's are very similar to the 04-06 models. I have an '05 and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a set of SX 40s. I'm hoping they get here by the middle of next week so that I can get them all installed for an extended weekend on the water.
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From looking at all the pictures i think the hulls are very much the same. You will see what I mean about the connectors from the tab to the shock. I think the trim tab guys made a connector that was longer and aluminum or stainless it wouldn't be an issue. I have been looking but no luck so far.
 
TexasA&M said:
Is your hull curved like the newer boats (2004-2006)? I think the 2001's are very similar to the 04-06 models. I have an '05 and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a set of SX 40s. I'm hoping they get here by the middle of next week so that I can get them all installed for an extended weekend on the water.
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I have a 2002 182 and the hull is curved just like the later model years. I am going to get the stainless tabs, that is what Nauticus recommends.
 
They are also $60+ cheaper, depending on where you get them.

FYI, there are some pics posted on page 1 of this post that show the mounting.
 
I was in the same boat :grin: as you recently. I bought Smart Tabs SX for my boat and then found when I set out to install them that they would be attached to the rounded part of the transom rather than the flat part. I decided not to try and install and instead called Nauticus.

Based on that conversation with John at Nauticus I returned the SX and will get the original stainless steel Smart Tabs. They are about $70 more expensive but I want the addition piece of mind.

I don't recommend emailing Nauticus though. I emailed them pictures and a question and got no reply for 2 weeks so I called John again and was told they were having email problems and I should immediately resend email and they'd answer. That was a month ago and I'm still waiting. I guess whatever their email problems were, they still haven't been ironed out.
 
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Finally got to run the boat today with the smart tabs and I have to say I'm impressed. They really do work as advertised. I'm thinking I might want to try the lighter shocks though. Hole shot was great, it turns on a dime with a much smoother ride but it didn't seem to want to trim up much and I think it might be messing with the wake a little too much (kinda breaking it up a little. Thinking maybe the lighter shock will work a little better, we will see.

Happy and safe boating everyone. I'm sure I will post again soon the next time I want to add something or God forbid something breaks.
 
Any other test runs on different cylinders? My tabs were finally shipped out last week. I'm hoping to get them in time to install before I head to the lake this weekend.
 
I am still waiting on getting back up to the lake. Wont happen next weekend because the kids b-day but the week after that we will be at the lake for a full week so I will have all the time in the world to test then. :)
 
FedEx dropped off my smart tabs today and I just got done installing them. I'll take some pictures tomorrow when I pull the boat out of the garage. Overall, installation was super easy. Even though I was going slow, the drill kept catching and going a little deeper than I wanted it to, but other than that everything went very smooth.

Now that I have seen the actual product, it's very easy to understand why the SX tabs can only be mounted in the #5 hole with the curved stern. There isn't enough of a gap in the mounting of the actuator to allow it to pivot correctly on anything other than #5. Hopefully the 40lb actuator will be exactly what I need, and I'll never have to mess with them again!

Going to the lake for a long weekend tomorrow. I'll report back on Monday how it goes.....
 
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TexasA&M said:
FedEx dropped off my smart tabs today and I just got done installing them. I'll take some pictures tomorrow when I pull the boat out of the garage. Overall, installation was super easy. Even though I was going slow, the drill kept catching and going a little deeper than I wanted it to, but other than that everything went very smooth.

Now that I have seen the actual product, it's very easy to understand why the SC tabs can only be mounted in the #5 hole with the curved stern. There isn't enough of a gap in the mounting of the actuator to allow it to pivot correctly on anything other than #5. Hopefully the 40lb actuator will be exactly what I need, and I'll never have to mess with them again!

Going to the lake for a long weekend tomorrow. I'll report back on Monday how it goes.....
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Looking forward to seeing how the 40s go. I have the 60s and I think they be a bit too much. Good luck with them this weekend.
 
wreckless123 said:
I cant wait to get back out and try my 60's. The 40's worked for me but I thought I could use a little more. If there were 50's they might be perfect.
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I don't mean to sound like a broken record but if they would just make a end connector that was longer and maybe aluminum we could just screw them on and have those other slots for adjustment. I have been looking in a few hardware places but haven't found anything close.
 
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